of of IN OF THE ARRIVAL THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP

THE ARRIVAL OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS IN THE FAR EAST

Grazia Loparco

FMA*

Introduction

The

arrival of

the Daughters

of Mary

Help

of

Christians

(FMA) in

the Far East is characterized by the educative nature of the institute, by its missionary commitment between 1922 ar,d 1950,

within

the missionary impulse of the Catholic Church, which entrusted this undertaking to Re-

ligious

Congregations using specific strategies.

One must go back to these circumstances in order to understand some

of

the

difficulties

that appeared both

in

the management and develop- ment

of

the

works linked

to the missions, both as

institutional

relation- ships with the Salesian Superiors who, at times, contemporarily have both ecclesial and religious authority, and

in

other circumstances as

two

dis- tinct persons who need to clarify their reciprocal juridical positions. Among the Salesians, and even more among the

FMA,

we do not see the mission- ary themes discussed on the European level; this leads us to believe that the missions were seen mostly from the pragmatic point of view.

The economic factors were not secondary when

it

involved request-

ing

personnel;

nor

when the

possibilities of

developing presences and

works

were called

for.

Besides

this,

we need

to look

at the missionary mentality that prevailed: the missionaries had to put together the

explicit

requests of those responsible

with

their desire to characterize the various works

with

the educative

spirit

of the institute.

The ecclesial and social-cultural climate

of

that period ^gave rise to the

Apostolic

Vicars promoting Religious Congregations among the

in-

digenous youth. Often, the

FMA

were asked to collaborate in the founda- tions and beginnings

of

such institutions, acting ^as temporary superiors.

Events in China, Japan and Thailand make us reflect on the relationship existing between these foundations and the admission of indigenous youth into the Institute of the

FMA;

and a wider reflection on the genetic com- ponents of the various members of the "Salesian

Family",

especially the common spiritual patrimony.

* _Sr. Grazia Loparco is professor ofChurch History at the Pontifical Faculty of Science of Education of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Rome, Italy.

Grazia lnparco

On this background, we see the great problems of inculturation; de- velopment of the Catholic Church in

multi-religious

contexts afflicted by the problems

of

international

politics;

relationships between missionary Religious Congregations, and, not the least,

difficulties in

communica-

tion

and mutual understanding between these countries and the General Council resident in Italy.

This research explores precisely the argument from the point of view of the authority, to whom requests for foundation and the

first

resonance of the

life

in the mission would arrive. The description of the works in the different nations would be the object

of

the other communications.

1. The

Missionary Relaunching of

1922

1922 coincided

with

the 50ft anniversary

of

the foundation

of

the Institute

of

the

FMA

and was the occasion

for

renewing the missionary

thrust (with the symbolic

mandate

of 50

missionaries).1 The General Council planned to entrust each province

with

a different mission to care for both

financially

and in terms of personnel, coming to a concrete deci- sion in this matter.2

Besides the missionaries already present in South and NorthAmerica, and

in

the

Middle

East,3 new frontiers opened towards Eastern Europe, Poland; Asia, India

in

^1922:. and China

in

1923.4

After

several years, the

FMA

arrived

in

Japan, 1929, and in Thailand (Siam), 1931.

After

World War

II, in

connection

with

the expulsion

from

China

in

the beginning

of

the 50's, houses were founded

in

the Philippines,

in

Korea, in Australia;

and at the beginning of the 60's, in Vietnam.s Later on, a foundation was opened in East Timor.

I The missionaries FMA sent out between 1877 and 1952 are divided in this manner: 1877 to 1908, 679 missionaries; 1909 to 1928: 518 missionaries; 1929 to 1952:- 1,062 missionar- ies. Total: 2,259.

'z CfAGFMA, Verbali adunanze Consiglio Generale dal novembre 191 3 al novembre 1924, 5 October 1922.

3 LatinAmerica 1877; Asia (Bethlehem l89l), Africa (Algeria 1893; Congo 1926).ln 1920, Mother Daghero wanted to send missionaries to Australia, but did not obtain permission.

a Following these, we have the foundations of Shanghai, Macao, Hong Kong.

s ln 1924, the General Council took up the theme of a foundation in Australia, but decided to wait for more information and postponed the decision. Cf Verbali ad,unanze Consiglio Gene rale... I 9 1 3 - I 924,

2l

agosto 1924.

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Chnstians In The Far East

The new missionary impulse

of

1922, after the war, was in harmony

with the

general

ecclesial commitments'6 In this period,

1924-1943, Mother Luisa Vaschetti ^was the Superior General. She, herself, was

for

20 years a missionary in Argentina (1883-1903), before being called to be the private secretary of Mother Catherine Daghero.

Differently from what

was happening

in America

where the mis- sions were founded to ^serve the Italian immigrants, ⁱⁿ Asia there was no talk of

"Italianization"

seconded by the government. This term alludes to the language and culture, especially

faith

values, the

figure of

the Pope and the Founder of the Congregation;

it

encompassed a Catholic

identity

to preserve in a land far away from home. For the Far East, instead, there are direct dealings

with

the propagation

of

the

faith which

entrusted the missions to the Salesians. In

Italy

the fascination

for

these lands grew.

The

FMA

arrived

in

the Far East on the

invitation of

the Salesians.

They were aware of the special characteristics of the

territory

and speci-

fied

some

of

the requirements necessary

for

the missionaries. Before

in-

viting other Congregations, they turned flrst to their Sisters in the "Salesian

Family", making known,

however, that a refusal

would

mean that the Salesians

would look for

others, so as

not to

deprive the mission

of

^a fundamental component. There was an increased

quality with

respect to the

fust

generation. The requests arrived on the table of ^a General Coun-

cil which

was often

working in

those years not

only

to

find

the correct personT for each work, but the means ^as

well,

and they were often

work-

ing to improve formation strategies.s

The minutes

of

the General Council meetings registered several

in-

terventions

of

the Rector

Major,

Fr.

Philip Rinaldi (1925,

1929,

l93O)

who, when asked to give his opinion, invited all to have great care for the houses of formation

for

the missionaries.

At

the same time, he had such foresight (which we call today projectual mentality) to assure

continuity

6 Afterthe Maximum illudof Benedict XV ⁽³⁰ November 1919), with the encyclical Renrm Ecclesiae (February 28, 1926) Pius XI promoted the foundation of local congregations in the mission territories, giving preference to indigenous vocations; often these vocations, especially the women, remained in a subordinate status in tle European Congregations.

? In these years, the missions sought missionaries who were "strong, young, ^educated with specific abilities". Minutes oJthe General Councilmeetings 1913-1924,28 August 1924.

s In 1924, a missionary aspirantate was opened atArignano (TO) along with the Missionary House of Mother Mazzarello (Torino, Via Cumiana) for the professed destined for the mis- sions; they followed a course of study to prepare themselves professionally for the mis- sions. In 1928, the missionary novitiate was opened at Casanova of Carmagnola (TO)' for candidates from various nations.

GraTia lnparco

and development, both for missions already in existence and for new ones.

In the General Chapter

IX

(1928), he gave recommendations for the mis- sions,

just

as Fr. Ricaldone did.

In

1930, Fr. Rinaldi encouraged greater organization

ofthe

mission-

ary

issue,

with long

range

planning which could

assure

vitality to

the missions already opened and adequate

formation of

the personnel des- tined to become missionaries.e In order to select the right personnel, plans were made for a council member to visit the more promising Italian

novi-

tiates and interview the novices at the end of the canonical year (the

first

year

of novitiate)

so as to get to

know

the young people

who

that year could make the missionary application.r0

Besides

this,

on

different

occasions, the Rector

Major

expressed a favorable attitude towards indigenous vocations, especially for India and China, countries which presented great

difficulty for

foreigners

for

both language and customs, not

to

mention mentality.

With

difference

from

the others, these nations,

including

Japan, appeared to be promising

for

the recruitment

of

vocations; thanks

to

the ancient

civilization,

culture and traditions.

His

opinion was that this formation needed to take place locally, some

of

these indigenous vocations could

live in Italy for

a few years to get to know the spirit of the Institute better while getting profes- sional qualifications.lr

e Cf Minutes of the meetings of the General Council 1929-1932,22October _1930.

tq Cf lbid.,2 September 193 I .

rr "Sixth problem, indigenous vocations. [Suggestions given on various occasions gathered here by cerial rhis is how the Benedictines, Capuchins and Jesuits have done and are doing it

so as to reach even the most unwelcoming parts of the world; this is the spirit of the church.

This is an undeniable fact: those countries are more interested than we in doing good to their own people, know their own surroundings better than we so ils to use all for the greater good and with greater care. The indigenous people know their own language, do not need to overcome the difficulties ofbecoming accustomed to the climate, nor deal with the inevitable difference between the indigenous people and strangers; they can require their compatriots what can never be obtained by those coming from outside their area. Thus, you can see that one gains on all sides. How to do this in practice? Especially for India and China, have the Novices make the novitiate in their own country; then, those who seem more promising, send them as professed to Italy for a few years to perfect themselves with studies or vocational training, and drink the genuine spirit of the Institute. Generally, for the foreigners who come for the Novitiate in ltaly, it is not convenient to have them stay on for several other years [. ^{. .} ] call some of them from all parts of the world to prepare them as well as preparing the future. yes, call them for the novitiate, having them stay on for a bit of time so as to sustain the houses and the spirit in their nations; all this is good, but do not make laws. Treat each case individually since it is clear that not all cases will produce the same hopes and the same results". Eugenio Carua, Zfte Life of the Sertant of God Fathcr Philip Rirnldi.Toino, SEI 1947, pp. 400-401.

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Chistians In The Far East

In

1931, the missionary dimension

of

the institute was formalized, choosing a

formula for

the missionary ceremony

for

the religious and a special missionary feast day, distinct from what the Salesians celebrated.r2

2.

From

the Requests to the

Foundation

The missionary openness towards China was very alive in ^the

FMA

plans, even among the young

girls

and children.t3

In

1908, the boarders at

Nizza Monferrato

enthusiastically responded

to

the missionary pro- posal

of

Fr. John Fergnani, missionary

in

China

from

1906

to

1912, to found the

Holy

Childhood Association.ra ^The Association was launched

in

January 1909

with

the support

of

Fr.

Versiglia: children

and young people offered prayers, small contributions, especially good works,

for

the missions.rs Even the

work of

the

Holy

lnnocents,

withtheit

Annals, increased interest

for

the Chinese children.

In

this atmosphere, Fr.

Luigi

Versiglia made his pressing appeal to Mother General,

M.

Catherine Daghero (1856-1924).16 The

VicarApos- tolic

of Canton had

just

assigned to the Salesians an immense territory

in

the north of Kwangtung with ⁶

million

inhabitants. Among so many "gen-

tiles"

there were also an ancient

Christianity

very

rich in

vocations. The character of the people was "humble and simple, very ^disposed to accept

Christianity"

and the

climate of

that

part of

the

country

was better

in

comparison

with

the South.

The Salesians were given

two

years to take the place

of

the Society

of

the Foreign Missions and Fr. Versiglia committed himself

right

away to "preparing a place for our Sisters without whose collaboration ^our

work

12 It was decided to hold the feast on the Sunday after that chosen by the Salesians. Cf Minutes of the General Council Meetings 1929-1932,2 September 1931. For the formula, an agreement was reached with Fr. Rinaldi who was present for the meetings on September

1 lh. That year the celebrations were ^foreseen to be on the first Sunday in October.

13 The Salesians arrived in Macao in 1906, and at the end of 1917, they arrived on continen- tal China at Shiu Chow.

ra See the invitation by Mother Marina Coppa, Councilor for Studies, in her circular letter;

China was also in the missionary dreams of Sr. Teresa Vals6 Pantellin.

15 On the occasion of the 256 anniversary, a small publication: The apostolate of the inno' cent in its first twenty-five years of life among the FMA.T]urin,1". FMA 1934, manuscript'

16 On 6 January 1918, he took up again the discourse begun a year and a half earlier, when there was only the hope that the Holy See would grant the Salesians a mission, which

"would be truly Salesian, and consequently include the Sisters as well".

Grazia lnparco

for

women would be impossible".

It

was thus necessary, to prepare per- sonnel. Sisters were not needed for the ordinary work in the kitchen, clean-

ing

or household chores since local personnel could be found

for

these services; also, it would not be appropriate for Europeans to do these works since they would be "looked down upon by the proud Chinese,', and thus

it

would become quite

difficult

to do any good. What was needed were teachers, especially English and even French teachers, experts in embroi- dery, music, design, and,

if

possible, even someone prepared in medicine,

with

a license.

In

China, there was greater need

for

"heads rather than arms".

It seemed better to await for the right persons

ratler

than begin badly:

"The peoples of the Far East have a pretty proud [altero=fiero] tempera- ment. You cannot be successfully accepted by them

without

showing an evident superiority in knowledge and ability. There were expectations

for

a showy education, one that would even include gymnastics. Besides the organizational and professional abilities, mature and virtuous persons were needed to set the foundations

ofthe

future

work

charity, understanding, maternal care, leaving no space

for

envy andjealousy. Fr. Versiglia sug- gested to send Sisters who were between

25

and 35 years old, who, be- cause

of

their youthfulness, a good health could learn the language, and who are mature enough not to be over impressed

by

customs that were very different, courageous in accepting without discouragement the nec- essary sacrifices.

Sr. Palmira Parri, the

first

Superior, kept up correspondence

with

the Superiors and

with

Fr. Rinaldi over the years, explaining the characteris- tics of the context from her viewpoint, the requirements

for

the mission- aries, and thus the necessary care in choosing the Sisters, as

well

as

their

preparation

in

Italy, along

with

the

difficulties

met at various levels.rT

In

1928, Fr. Vincent

Cimatti

insistently asked for the

FMA

in Japan, after the Salesians founded

their

works there a couple

of

years earlier.rs

In

his letter to Mother Luisa Vaschetti (1857-1943), he reassured her

of

17 The works entrusted to the FMA in China were orphanages, Holy Childhood works, a boarding school [collegio] for girls from well-to-do families, the formation ofcatechists for the indigenous people, perhaps already foreseeing a religious foundation. works of assis- tance included services for the blind and for the elderly. In 1925, a teacher training institute [Normal ^School] was begun for the formation of teachers.

18 hecisely at the time when he felt the missionaries could leam the language and begin the works.

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Christians In The Far East

the house, the food, and the expanse of the apostolic

field

open to them;

at the same time he asked that the Sisters be

solidly

formed in piety and chastity, intelligent, capable and patient in facing the "very

difficult"

char- acter of the Japanese people. Since this was an independent mission, Fr.

Cimatti was also the ecclesiastical superior, he did not hide the poverty

of

the mission even

in

a

well

developed nation.re

He informed the Sisters that they would

find

the

girls

already orga- nized

in

associations. He suggested that each missionary be prepared to be "isolated,

like

a

child"

incapable

of

good communication

for

at least two ^years.2o

Sr. Letizia Begliatti's first letter to Mother General, of 2 March 1930, sometime after she had arrived, showed her commitment to adapt herself to the totally new customs.2r The presence of a young woman aspiring to become a religious caused two questions to be posed to the General Council

in

the month of October.22

Thus,

it

seems that on one side, there appeared to be an interest

in

indigenous vocations who would serve better than foreign religious; there

re The cost of living was equal to that in a large Italian city. He gave details of what to include in the trousseau, objects and useful materials, items and their cost in Japan; he also made reference to gifts that would attract the interest of the Japanese people.

20 The agreement on the contract [convenzione] was made concrete with the General Economer, Mother Arrighi, who had understood the importance of instruction as well as manual and atistic abilities for the missionaries who would need these characteristics in proportion to the good they wanted to do in these lands. After leaming the language, the Sisters saw open before them a vast field of work in the schools, vocational centers, kinder- gartens, which Fr. Cimatti had called <day assistance for children>, the daily oratory and after school activities.

2r A prolonged rainy season, the solitude and the gentleness of the people, the sadness of

"living surrounded by pagans"...

22 The first regarded the date for beginning the Novitiate. Sr. Letizia noted that August 5d was the least suited time in the Japanese climate since the change from using the kimono to the religious habit would have coincided with the hottest time of the year with respect to Europe. She thus asked to be able to try setting the date for December 8s, a date very dear to the heart of St. John Bosco. The second had to do with the fact that the Japanese seemed to have "a character that was difficult to understand, very sensitive and easily changing", she suggested changing the length of time for the Aspirantate as well as fixing the Postulancy at twelve months. Cf text of the typewritten page (probably an extract from a handwritten letter) of Sr. l,etizia Begliatti to the FMA General Council, Miyazaki, 7 October 1930, in AGFMA 12102-302.

Grazia htparco

is on the other hand, the need to adapt the rules to the needs of the envi- ronment.23

The registration of the children was slow, seeing as teachers, christians and foreigners.

It

would be necessary to strive to prepare religious teachers who were notforeignen, oratleast, someone whocould imbue

"gdtandinitia-

tive" ^and inroduce the educational method of the institute into the kindergar- ten. In other words, after a year and a half of experience, the Superior presented Mother General with ^the pressing request for qualified personnel.z

In the meantime, at the end of ^{1929, a request} for founding an FMA pres- ence

in

Siam, with the approval of both Fr. Rinaldi and Fr. Ricaldone, was received. The first answer from Mother General was concise: lack of penon- nel Six months later, Fr. Adolfo Tomquis25 noted that in Siam there was space, work, sun... the only thing lacking ^was money. It would make it easier to live the vow ofpoverty ^there. The Siamese people were educated and well disposed toward foreigners, and the language was not too difficult.26

It

seemed opportune to wait a few years

until

the personnel could be prepared to what was foreseen. However, after several days, the decision changed; probably this was due to the counsel of Fr.

Rinaldi

who was a

very

prudent man, and especially

for

the suggestion

of Fr.

Ricaldone,

23 In 1931, the first formation house was approved in Beppu after the request appealed to the fact that "necessity does not have rules". The kindergarten Miyogio, Morning Star, was inaugurated. The poetic title was attractive to the "pagans" (this was the Superior's com- ment when she explained on its meaning for the Catholics). Cf letter of Sr. Letizia Begliatti to Mother General, Beppu, ¹ 8 Augu st 1931, in ibid.

2a Even though she knew the lack Turin was already feeling, for an increase in the works of

the FMA with an educational quality adequate for meeting the needs ofthe environment, Fr.

Cimatti, on his part, underlined the continued linguistic diffrculties, but also the need for FMA to take greater risks to uplift the lamentable economic situation surrounding them. Cf letter of Fr. V. Cimatti to the Mother General, Miyazaki, 1l May 1931, in ibid.

2s Visitor and benefactor, he sent Mother Daghero a picture of the house reserved for the sisters, together with the promise of several young women ready to enter the Institute.

26 In July 1930, Msgr. Pasotti wrote a reminder, in view of sending the missionaries out. He appealed to the spirit of sacrifice and of adaptability, and described the presence of several good educational institutions for girls which were especially staffed by French Sisters, of- fering the same courses as in Europe, including English and sometimes French. He wanted to entrust tle FMA with an elementary school in BangNokKhuek, an oratory medical cen- ter, kindergarten, orphanage, and catechism. A nursing Sister would be a wonderful means of making progress. Various types of women's work, medicine, religious objects of a cer- tain value that could win against the . .. pagan competition! At the end of October 1930, the Superiors were still uncertain about accepting the proposal for the foundation; Fr. Rinaldi invited them to get to the core of the issue and express their intention of going or not, and

if

yes, when would they go.

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Christians In The Far East

who pushed for the foundation,

following

the insistence of Msgr. Pasotti.

The adhesion of the General Council came on 6

May

1931 _; yet, they

still

had to look for the missionaries adapted for the work of foundation in ^the month of July.

On l7

August, Msgr. Pasotti wrote thanking ^them

for

the confirmation of ^the foundation and adding details for its organizationl he also included the program for the feast of the

XV

centenary of the Coun-

cil of

Ephesus. The Sisters arrived

in

Siam

on

14 November 1931, and their travels were narrated

in

the Newsletter of the

FMA.

Sr. Maria

Avio,

who was already a missionary

in

India, was the Su- perior of the

first

group. A few weeks later ^she lamented with the Superi- ors the lack

of clarity with their

program

of

action. Fr. Ricaldone, who was questioned on the matter, noted that after the

first

phase

of

getting settled in,

it

would be necessary to send in a Sister who was gifted

with

a

spirit of initiative.

The missionaries would have to resign themselves to use one or two ^{years to} learn the local language as well ^as a bit of English, too. In effect, Sr. Maria Baldo was to have been the missionary

with ini- tiative,

increasing the

works in

a markedly Buddhist land,

which for

a good number of years would give

few

vocations.

3.

Commitment

to

adapting

as

well

as

facing

economic

difliculty

The missionaries' letters testify to their availability to serve as needed, according to the

initial

requests, and the

effort

to develop works that re- spond to the

spirit

of the Institute.

Various aspects

of daily life

required

flexibility, from

food and

cli-

mate to types of housing, customs regarding women's education and col- laboration

with

lay personnel, to traveling and traditions.

For education and instruction, the social setting was considered ^{so as} to offer something in keeping with development potential, as was already being done

in

other parts of the

world.

Especially

in

China,

in

1928, we have this testimony:

"If

some orphans show a special aptitude for studying, have them continue their studies so that they can eventually become teachers to replace the ^pagan and protesknt teachers who are presently teaching at the orphanage and mis- sion schools. There are also extem students who number about 40, all paying the tuition fee which goes to the benefit of the house. ln the orphanage there are four elementary classes, three intermediate and one each of I and II Normal".27

27 Description of FMA works in China, June 1928, anonymous original in ^the FMAArchives,

1 3.650 1- 1- 10.

Grazta Inparco

In

an important letter to Fr.

Rinaldi in

1929, Sr. Parri lamented the scarcity of personnel, and admitted that much good was being done

visit- ing

the families.

This

was a report on the

first

six years

of

the mission.

She insisted especially that missionaries should be versatile and self-sac-

rificing,

capable of going easily from refined work to humble work, espe-

cially

that

which

the Chinese

would not

(accept)

to

perform. The mis- sionaries

felt that only

the christian

faith would

make them open and available to the needs of charity.

Some references were to the schedule, to the habit of giving punctu-

ally

loans that had been approved,

to

the

wish of

preparing some

girls who couid

become the

frst

collaborators after

improving

the

level of

learning which was very low. In this way, the letters showed the

fatiguing iter

of the development of the missionaries' strategies, including a home

for

the

elderly

and a house

for

Kuneong (consecrated catechists), and helper women (not always trustworthy)

for

some services such as shop- ping and housework.28 In all of the works, there is missionary assistance which is integrated by a few extemal students who could pay the

tuition

fee. As

for

the orphanage,

it

was projected that opening a

knitting

shop

would offer

a sizable income, but a Sister

who

was expert

in this

trade was not present in the mission.

Though the

FMA

mission

in

China, Japan, and Thailand were very different from each other, they did have

in

common, the uncertainty due to the

difficulty

of the language, the impossibility of founding great works due to the lack ofmeans, absence

oflocal

support, and a lack

ofenthusi-

asm in the request for their presence. In the beginnings of these missions, Fr. Versiglia assured the Superiors:

"Regarding the finances, I assure you thatjust as we are able to make a living, so will they, and as long as there is bread and rice for us, there will be the same for them. The last bit of bread and the last portion of rice will certainly not be for ourselves, but will be reserved for them. I am sure that they will do all they can, and thus Divine Providence will not be lacking to us".2e

'z8 Cf the description of the works in China, June 1928.

2e Extract from Msgr. Versiglia's typewritten letter of 20 April 1920 in the FMA Archives (13.65 01-1-01). This is a memorial addressed to Fr. Vincent Bemardini, who was sched- uled to leave Macao for Turin for the Intemational Congress of Salesian Cooperators and Past-pupils, held in occasion ofthe inauguration of the monument dedicated to Don Bosco.

The entire memorial is in the Salesian Congregation's Archives, A 3520506. The context is clear in Guido Bosro,

Martii

in Cina. Mons. Luigi Versiglia e Don Callisto Caravario.

Leumann - Turin, Elle Di Ci 1976, pp.172-173.

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Chrtstians In The Far East

The restraints were

felt

when

it

came to enlarging the Sisters'

work

inL925

with

a school for ^the formation of teachers, an expense which the mission had to face. Perhaps this was the only courageous

initiative

which characterize the

FMA

who were always attentive to the needs of the

girls for

instruction.

The

slow

development

of

the works prolonged the dependence

of

the Sisters on the Salesian Fathers more than what they had foreseen. We can see a clear echo

of

this

from

Fr. Ricaldone's evaluation (he was the prefect and

visiting

Superior in the Far East at the end

of

1927). He wrote to the Rector

Major

that,

following

his return, they would need to study the questions raised

by

that Vicariate as

well

as

by

the missions

in

the East. In that region the Vicars and

Apostolic

Prefects usually helped the

religious only in

the beginnings

of

the works,

until

they could become autonomous. It seemed that the

FMA

Superiors had other criteria. In China they were

still

being sustained

by

Msgr. Versiglia (after

five

years) and this called for an urgent solution, given the necessity of deciding various particular cases (probably

linked

to the development

of

the works). He concluded:

"Our

Sisters

in

the East have a great

future;

however, they need to clearly outline the way and the program".3o

In

Japan,

too,

the Sisters were

living in

great poverty.

They

were dependent on the mission at

Miyazaki,

and

it

was clear that

they still

needed a couple

of

years to learn the language and give a good founda- tion to the works, while they were working in the Salesians' laundry and wardrobe. Before the end

of

the

two

years, Fr. V.

Cimatti

proposed that the

FMA

open a kindergarten in

Miyazaki

so as to become more indepen- dent; the other reason was that he could no longer meet the expenses their maintenance incurred. The international economic crisis ^placed the Sis- ters and the Superiors in serious

difficulty,

since they had to contribute to the upkeep

of

the house

in

Beppu as

well

where Fr. Tornquist had

origi-

nally given help, but was then unable to do so due to financial

difficulties.

In

1932 the Sisters sustained Beppu, but were unable to

commit

them- selves

for Miyazaki,

and were disposed to leave that

work

and send the missionaries to other works.

ln

October

of

the same year an economic globalization took ^place:

the

FMA

received a donation from a benefactor of the Orphanage in Nizza

Mare

(France), the general economer

of the

Salesians encouraged the

r0 Handwritten repo( by Fr. Peter Ricaldone to Fr. Philip Rinaldi, on board the Pilsna, ^{I 1-} r2-r927,inASCF 158.

Grazia l,oparco

councilors to express their thanks to the Rector

Major

(who probably had

a very active role in this donation) and to buy the kindergarten at Miyazaki, thus avoiding bankruptcy

for

Fr. Cimatti. The councilors agreed, taking the funds from those put aside for the beatification of Mother

Mazzarello,

simultaneously sending the French

province

the reimbursement

of

the amount necessary

for

acquiring the kindergarten in Japan as soon as that would be possible.3r

4.

Collaboration with

the Salesians

ln

1923, the Salesian Visitatoria was born in China,

with

Fr. Ignatius Canazei as its courageous guide; in that same year, the

frst

FMA anived.

It

is understandable that between the tribulations and resettlement, an attempt to define the physiognomy of the works and collaboration would take place.

On his arrival in China

in

1927, Fr. Ricaldone found a memo by the Provincial, Fr. Canazei, which touched on the question of the relationship between the FMA and the Salesian Superior and the Apostolic Vicar, Msgr.

Versiglia:

"The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. There is a fundamental ques- tion to resolve, as religious, are they under the care of the Provincial, repre- sentative of the Rector Major? Sometimes the Superior of the FMA com- munity would like to discuss things with the Provincial; however, it is clear that as long as they are completely dependent on the Apostolic Vicar, the Provincial can do nothing, except listen to her. The FMA's are all still at Shiu Chow and Hosai. Besides the usual difficulties all have experienced, especially at the beginning in China, they have those of personnel, and the difficulty of dealing with the Delegate Vicar (Guarona);

it

seems that he interferes excessively in their affairs, seeing them as servants of the mis- sionaries. . . ".32

Fr. Ricaldone found that the three works of the

FMA

were

still

under only one superior. He also noted the excessive interference

ofFr.

Guarona (Pro-Vicar) in certain moments, even

if

the spiritual assistance was impor- tant. Fr. Ricaldone's reflections had repercussions in Italy. In June 1928, a description of the works was sent to the Superiors, including the three houses

)t Cf Minutes of the General Council 1929-1932,23 Octobq 1932, in AGFMA.

r2 Memo of the Provincial, Fr. Canazei to the visiting superior, Fr. Ricaldone. July 1927 [AIC, Provincial Archives].

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Christians In The Far East

with

their means of sustenance: the orphanage-school,33 religious instruc- tion,

difficulty

of setting up the oratory for various problems (not described in detail) with the Salesians.I Besides, Msgr. Versiglia

- ^it

^{is said}

-

^wants

the feasts of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, the Ascension,

'"To have the Sisters with the catechists go to the different districts so as to better prepare the christians to celebrate the solemnities with due respect.

Up to now this has not been done because of divergence of ideas, or better, because the superior ^does not see it as being in conformity with the spirit of

the institute".35

The superior, instead, lamented

with

the major superiors the lack

of

personnel as the reason

for

not being able to do more

visits

among the people. Thus the motivations given did not coincide when

it

came to

jus- tifying

the insufficient presence among the people, both far and near. One could sense a certain tension between the

availability

of the

FMA, faith-

fulness to the

spirit of

the Institute, and the requests

for

evangelization put forward by Msgr. Versiglia who, ^as

Apostolic

Vicar, had the

full

re- sponsibility

for

the christian community. ^These were spread out accord- ing to an older strategy

of

missionary presence that dispersed the forces

of

missionaries,

forcing

them to

live in

isolation most of the time.

At

the end

of l928,Msgr.

Versiglia ^{presented his} point of view, upon the request

of

the superiors, on the

distribution of

personnel and

activi-

ties, in view

of

what the center thought about reinforcing the missionary presence. The bishop was disposed to give greater space to the

initiative of

the

FMA

to found works more

in

keeping

with

the

spirit of

the

Insti-

tute,

if

they were able to ^assume the economic situation. Faced

with

the need to select an animator

for

each work, he noted that some Sisters did

33 sr. Elena Bottini is probably the author ofthis description ofthe works. she indicates that Msgr. Versiglia would like to call the work "orphanage" while the Sisters called it "col- lege". Of the 36 students, 32 were completely cared for by the Mission.

a Tivice when speaking of the Oratory, there is a negative reference: "The principal work should be the Oratory, but for now we have not concluded anything due to the differences of idea between the Superior and the Salesians. Many children are abandoned on the street while their parents are at work; they often try to enter our grounds and come with us, but the superior has instructed the doorkeeper to send them away. When they are able to enter, we share our time with them, but sister superior is not pleased". Elsewhere, "Here too, we should often have the Oratory, but continued contradictions interfered in the development we expected". Cf the presentation of the works in China of June 1928, anonymous hand- written, in the AGFMA 13.6501-l-10.

35 IbA.

Grazia Loparco

not

like

being dependent and controlled. Instead

of

changing personnel

right

away, he suggested very discretely that another very good mission- ary be sent who could, after a year in training, assume responsibility.36 In the meeting

of

General

Council on

29 January 1929

his

message was considered and the councilors decided to speak with Fr. Ricaldone before deliberating on the matter.37

The long letter

from

Sr. Palmira Parri to Fr. Rinaldi, which we have already cited, has the value

ofan

accounting at the end

ofthe

lrrst six years in China, when some

FMAretumed

and others joined the group. The sow-

ing

time was very long, and other threats were arriving. From the letters exchanged by the superior, you can see the various tensions, which accom- panied the Salesian community and the ftagedy of the two martyrs, includ- ing Msgr. Versiglia, during this time of trial and lack of consensus.

Afterhis

death, his successor, Msgr. Canazei, wrote to the Rector Major

in

193 I :

"Speaking of the FMA, I would like to make a few observations: a) pres- ently, with the work they have to do here in Shiu Chow, where all twelve are staying, at least four are too many, and I would prefer that for now, that new ones not be sent, b) Even if I wish to send them to other cities, I do not have the means to build their house, school, etc.; ifthey want to begin some- thing of their own, with the Institute's means, I would be very happy.

Having the occasion of speaking with the Mother General, reverend Fr.

Rinaldi,

I

would like to share these two observations with her so that she knows how to prepare the next FMA expedition in China.

Ignatius Canazei Apostolic Vicar of Shiu Chow".38

Good

will

was not lacking, yet the

limitation

of economic resources seemed to

inhibit

the best distribution

ofthe

personnel already present.

In

other missions as

well,

this same problem held up development.

5. The

formation of 'tndigenous" ^religious

The

Holy

See favored the foundation

of local

diocesan congrega- tions

to facilitate

evangelization. The Salesians, too, formed catechists among the young women in

view

of their choosing religious

life.

36 Letter of Msgr. Versiglia, typewritten and signed, Shiu Chow, 27 November 192g, in AGFMA, 13.65 01-1-01.

31 Cf Minutes ofthe General Council meeting 1925-1929,29 lanuary 1929.

r8 Letter of Fr. Ignatius Canazei to Fr. Rinaldi, Shiu Chow, l2 July 193 1, N. l0/193 l, Type- written, in ASC A 8670281.

The Arrival Of The Daughters Of Mary Help Of Chistians In The Far East

While

the

political

situation

in

China worsened,

in

1931 Sr. Parri was asked by Msgr. Ignatius Canazei, the new Apostolic Vicar, ^{to begin a} new religious institute

for

the indigenous women, the Announcers of the Lord ^- Hin Tchu Wui, for whom he had already written the Constitutions.

Msgr.

Versiglia had already thought

of founding

them.3e The aspirants were already ready

for

several years;

their

house was

in

construction.

They wanted to begin the

Novitiate.

Sr. Parri was asked to be the Supe-

rior for

a few years, being freed

from

other responsibilities.

Very soon

difficulties

and differences arouse between her and Msgr.

Canazei.In

1933,

two

young candidates chose to enter among the

FMA

as

aspirants.{ This

created some tension, the echo

of which

can been heard

in

a letter of Msgr. Carrazei to Fr. Ricaldone,

following

the annual report he sent to the Propagation

of

the Faith

for

1932133. There, he ex- pressed two reasons for lamenting about the Salesians at Don Bosco Col- lege and about Sr.

Pani; for

these reasons, Fr. Ricaldone had

to notify him

of his disappointment:

"Shiu _Chow, 5 November 1933

[. ..] Regarding the FMA

-

^I had cause for great displeasure this ^year

-

ⁱⁿ

relation to the Association of indigenous Religious...it would take too long to give all the details. I am not saying they are rebels, no ! But they certainly are not guided (and they don't want to be!) in the missionary work, were they need to be dtected. The Sisters certainly do work with zeal and sacri- fice, yet their director, the Vicar, has had many difficulties. If you think it is a good idea, you can read the letter that I felt obliged to ^{send to the} Superior (July 1933) and a copy to the Mother General in Turin. Besides this, these observations, which are true, were not published in the newspapers, but simply referred to the competent ecclesiastical authorities, ^as was my duty:

a) that in one school "religious instruction ... was neglected"; and, b) that

3e From the information given by Canazei, he appears to be the Founder, yet the DIP makes the foundation of a lay Diocesan Congregation go back to Msgr. Versiglia in 1928. The Canonical Erection is from Canazei and the approval of the Propagation of the Faith took place in May 1931. With communism taking over, the Sisters were dispersed and some imprisoned. Eight took refuge in Hong Kong, obtaining the Bishop's permission to reopen the Novitiate in 1957, a permission that was ratified by the Propagation of the Faith on 13 December 1957. Cf Mario ^Ressrc

\

Annunziatici del Signore,in Dizionario degli Istituti di Perfezione I, directed by Guerrino PsLUccIA - Giancarlo Rocca. Roma, Ed. Paoline ^1973, col.67U67l.

$ _{Ot24 July 1933,} Msgr. Canazei wrote (in the Diary): "Wong Agnes and Tchan Teresa, with their letter of 22 July notified me that they have ceased to be postulants of the Hin Tchu Wui [=Suore Annunciatrici del Signore] and have become aspirants among the FMA".

Grazia Loparco

for various difhculties (where

I

really never would have expected to find them) I was forced

-

^with great sorrow

-

^{to close the formation house for}

indigenous religious.

If only, by God's grace the mere exposition of the facts could erase them!

Unfortunately, they continue

-

especially as regards to the association of

the indigenous religious and there are still other steps that must be taken (in Rome) and painful decisions for me and for others need to be taken.

Msgt Canspi".er

Two years later, the situation was

still

not peaceful. He had to write a special report

for

the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, since he was

in

his

fifth

year as Bishop. He denounced a certain lack

of

com- mitment by the Salesian Superiors towards the Mission.

With

a long let-

ter

dated

26

February 1936, the

Vicar

defended

himself to

the Rector Major, who had scolded him for the report that was sent to Rome. Among the other motives

for

the displeasure regarding the

FMA:

"A

word regarding the FMA: Please remember that when

I

speak of the FMA, I am not speaking of all of them together, but only about their Superior (Sr. Parri). All ofthe difficulties came from the fact that she (helped secretly someone, she should not have done so), due to a project dear to herself, went against a program of the Ordinary (the present Bishop of the local diocese as well as his predecessor, Msgr. Versiglia) a program that had been approved and rccommended by the Holy See. That the FMA desire to work for their own Institute is understandable and reasonable. But, as long as they have a work to accomplish, which was entrusted to them, accepted by them, and the mission maintains them, living in the Mission house, they are required to help the Apostolic Vicar to develop the programs established for the good of the Vicariate. Iudgment on the opportunity of said program is not part of her responsibility, but belongs to the Superior of the Missions.

The Superior, by wishing to do other works outside the place and time established, place obstacles in the way of a very important work of the Vicariate for several years. For this reason, I am now forced, unwillingly and with sorrow in my heart, to look elsewhere for a religious who can help me with the formation of the indigenous religious and with the young catechists of the Vicariate. And to think that this glorious and most important work I wished to entrust precisely to the FMA! Of all this that took place [sic] in 1933, I remained very displeased and I permitted myself to write about it to the Superior General of the FMA, and to present the case to the eminent Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.

ar A handwritten letter of Fr. Ignatius Canazei to Fr. Ricaldone, Shiu Chow, 5 November 1933, inASCA8670239.